Automated gauge systems may facilitate positioning workpieces, such as stock lumber, relative to a saw. An operator inputs a desired length of a product, and the system automatically positions a stop (e.g., a fence) such that the stop is spaced from the saw by the desired length. Accordingly, a workpiece abutted at its end against the stop and properly aligned with a rail can be positioned quickly and accurately for sawing to create the product.
In order to position the stop for both long and short products, the system may have a relatively long drive mechanism that drives movement of the stop. For example, a gauge system that can cut lumber to generate products of up to ten feet in length may have a drive mechanism and a rail that are both about ten feet long. The drive mechanism and rail thus may restrict the portability, storability, and/or maximum product length of the gauge system.